Green Living is More Than Recycling

Tonight I'm reading an article related to my work with Eden Reforestation Projects titled "The lowdown on topsoil: It's disappearing" with the subheading, "Disappearing dirt rivals global warming as an environmental threat." Much of the content in the article relates to the loss of topsoil in Seattle area, which makes sense since the article appeared last year in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper.But this quote really caught my attention:

The United Nations has warned of worldwide soil degradation -- especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where soil loss has contributed to the rapidly increasing number of malnourished people.

I am reminded once again that creation care (AKA environmental stewardship) is So. Much. Bigger than saving, preserving and restoring the environment. Being green is first and foremost about reducing poverty and suffering. As Matthew Sleeth says in Serve God, Save the Planet, "the poor are the least able to escape the ravages of a climate gone ill." The lives of the poor are so incredibly fragile, and as their environment degrades, the effects have a profoundly damaging, domino effect on their lives. They lose shelter, clean water, livelihood and basic safety as soil is washed away, droughts persist, animals disappear, and food cannot be grown or found.

Give up a cup of coffee at Starbucks this week and plant 35 trees. Stay home and skip the latest summer flick and plant 85 trees. Get 10 friends to do the same and plant hundreds!

OK, I'll stop. But just for now. Get me off your back and go to www.edenprojects.org. Nighty night....

More Articles on the Interweb!

I've been asked by YMToday to contribute some articles to their newsletter. This is an impressive resource produced by the Center for Youth Ministry Training. I believe this photo helps you to understand why they invited me to contribute...

Go to this link and look over this week's YMToday newsletter; scroll down to "More Articles this week" section and you'll see my article.

It's a joy for me to see some "dreams come true" in terms of getting my writing out there. It's even more satisfying when they ask me for content. I like that ☺ As is often the case, I don't get paid for it.... But God is faithfully providing income for me -- so this stuff is icing on the cake, and a great way to connect in other ways.

My schedule is full these days with work. Yessss! I have consulting projects in Nebraska, Illinois, Arizona, 3 churches in Southern CA, and several assignments with Eden Reforestation Projects all spinning at once. I am also gearing up to officially start the school year with Providence Hall on August 15. For a little vacay before my schedule ramps up another notch, I'm squeezing in a 5-day camping trip to Sequoia National Park, then sneaking away for two days with my niece and nephew to camp near Big Sur after that.

Thanks for reading.

Free Music, People!

How do you pass up such great stuff? Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Iron & Wine, to name a few -- and that's just from the Folk Sampler... Getting ready to download the Jazz Sampler, which includes Branford Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, the Bad Plus and others. TGIF! and thank you NPR.

These are from the Newport Music Festivals on the 50th anniversary.

Go to NPR Music at Newport.

P.S. If you want more solid acoustic guitar work, also check out a new album by Bruce Cockburn called Slice o' Life. Down to earth Canadian folk singer who has always put out great music, even if it has been a bit under the radar at times.

New Kind o' Veggie Burger...

True confessions: I have not tried this recipe yet. But it sounds marvelous. Give it a spin and tell me your impressions -- I just went and bought an eggplant today and plan on making it this weekend with my Fairview Gardens heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. I got it from The World Community Cookbook - "Simply in Season."

Eggplant Burgers

A delicious late summer meatless grill, or make it under the broiler. You might need a knife and fork to eat these hearty sandwiches.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Whisk together in a small bowl.

1 large eggplant

Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch / 5-mm thick slices to make 12-16 slices. Brush with the oil mixture. Place on grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and cook, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining oil mixture, until tender, 5-10 minutes. Remove from grill. (Eggplant slices may be cooked under the broiler or sautéed in a frypan until tender, 4-5 minutes per side.)

8 thin slices provolone, Gouda, or other cheese

2 tomatoes (thinly sliced)
or 4 large pieces roasted red sweet peppers

8-16 leaves fresh basil

freshly ground pepper

Place a slice of cheese on 1 eggplant slice; top with another eggplant slice. Top with 2 tomato slices or a piece of roasted red sweet pepper, then 2-4 basil leaves. Top with third eggplant slice, then another slice of cheese. Top with fourth eggplant slice. Repeat to make 4 stacks, adding a grind of pepper at the end (optional). Place on grill; close lid and cook for about 2 minutes, turning once.

4 crusty rolls or 8 thin slices sturdy bread

Drizzle balsamic vinegar on inside of split rolls. Or brush the bread with olive oil, toast it on the grill and lightly rub a cut clove of garlic over the toasted surface. Add vegetable stacks and serve immediately. Or allow to cool, wrap tightly, and refrigerate several hours or overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Summer Selections

It's a bee-YOO-ti-ful day outside, and I plan on enjoying it very soon. But I wanted to check in and shoot off my mouth a bit about things that I really like.

Please feel free to share your favorites as well.

Life is good, full of small and sweet pleasures that I enjoy...

• Date Almond Rolls with Coconut from Lassens Foods
• Organic Strawberry Spread from Costco on Brown Rice Cakes (don't knock it till you try it)
• Avocados - at any time of day
• Bike rides -- to the Mission, Lake Los Carneros, Campus Point, on errands
• Scooter rides! especially with a friend in back, feeling summer on your face
• Andy Shauf - sort of a cross between Sondre Lerche (Dan in Real Life soundtrack dude) and Sufjan Stevens
• Tour de France on TV in the morning while I am drinking coffee and eating breakfast
• The Book of Joshua
• Fresh produce from Fairview Gardens -- strawberries, yellow squash, basil, cucumbers, tomatoes

But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds. (Psalm 73:28)

Thanks for being part of my grace-filled life. Feel free to share your own top summer selections.

Deforestation in Haiti

Just heard an amazing story on NPR about Haiti & their deforestation crisis. This is all the more cool because this past Monday (a whole two days ago) I met with a man who has gone to Haiti six times in the last 4 years on medical missions. When he heard about the work of Eden Projects, he wanted to meet and talk through the possibilities of us going to Haiti next.

Best of all, Eden has already been asked by another group to come down, and plans are tentatively set for this October to scout out the potential for Eden to get started. This story on NPR motivates me even more to be involved with reforestation. The more I learn, the more evident it appears that something needs to be done. Now.

Eden Projects is on track to plant 3.5 million trees this year in Ethiopia and Madagascar. The plan is to double our planting rate each year for the next five years, getting to the point of planting 100 million trees. This is crazy and lofty - but necessary. As Steve Fitch, the founder of Eden Projects says, if we can't plant 100 million trees a year, we shouldn't even bother. Anything less would be like going to Skid Row and feeding one person a single meal.

Please be praying for me as I try to recruit churches and businesses to join Eden Reforestation Projects in this work. I will also be inviting former students of mine to get involved by starting chapters on their campuses that will support Eden by seeking ways big and small to raise funds and awareness. Thanks. Go to www.edenprojects.org and scroll down to the videos at the bottom to learn more.

Article Published on "Two Whom"

Another article related to youth ministry has been posted online with Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), an excellent research institution connected to Fuller Seminary, its School of Theology and their program in Youth, Family & Culture. I met with the Executive Director Kara Powell last month to talk through future projects we might work on together, and she asked if they could post my story about our "Two Whom" project.

I care about the Two Whom event because it was my best attempt to help students learn how to live out their faith in the midst of their everyday life. Kara and I really connected on a passion of FYI -- to work with students in understanding "deeper justice" issues. In other words, when we take that summer missions trip to Tijuana or Costa Rica or the inner city, it's easy to dive in and work with the poor when that is all that we are doing. We have both found that students are energized to serve and sacrifice for the next few days or weeks after such an experience, but that it is difficult for them to sustain that commitment because the trip was so... "other."

Two Whom was a step forward because it asked students to grapple with poverty, injustice and our faith right in their world -- heck, right in their kitchen! May we keep seeing ways to live out kingdom values in our lives and relationships, bringing grace, justice, humility, love and peace to those we see daily.